The Golden Road to Tomorrow
by Ellena Tyler
Summary: When an alien shoots to kill, how will it effect life on the TARDIS? And what does this have to do with fish? Will the universe inconvine, or will the human race be stuck with gills forever? Might turn into a multi chapter depending.


"Please! I'm just trying to help. Just stop what you're doing, and I can help. I can find you a new planet where you can live in peace. Just stop." The Doctor pleaded with the strange green monster that was pointing some kind of gun at Rose's head.

"Why?" Rasped the strange fish-like alien that walked on two legs. "Why should I stop and walk away when I have you exactly where I want you? Your companion's life is at my mercy and everything is working out exactly as I planned. So why Doctor?"

He smiled grimly and shot Rose a reassuring glance. "Because you've just made my very angry and that is one thing you did NOT want to do." She looked back at him and her glance conveyed her complete and utter trust in him. He just hoped he deserved it.

The alien laughed. "What are you going to do little man? Sonic me to death?" The fishman suddenly turned deadly serious. "Try anything and Blondie here becomes a red head."

He was so conflicted. He had to do something or earth's population would be stuck with rather ugly gills for the rest of time! But, to save the world, he would have to risk his precious Rose. He couldn't live with himself if he lost her.

She just hoped that he had a plan. A plan to get them out of this. She knew that being with him was going to be dangerous, but she wished she had gotten a chance to tell him… She couldn't start thinking like that. He would get them out of this. One thing she knew for certain though, was that the entire earth's future was MUCH more important than her own life. She stared at the Doctor trying to convey what she wanted to say. "_Doctor, if you even THINK about not trying to stop this insane fish-face before he causes my planet to grow GILLS I'll KILL you."_

Thankfully, he seemed to get her message. He put his hand behind his back and started to fiddle with his sonic screwdriver. There. It was at the right setting. He only had one chance at this though, so he HAD to be careful. "_**Alrightie,**_" he thought to himself. "_**In three, two, one….. GO!**_" He finished his countdown, pointed at the alien, and fired. The Doctor saw the alien fall to the floor. He motioned Rose to get out of the way. She started to run over to him.

_**BANG!**_

The gun had gone off. The alien, using the last of his strength had fired. "If I can't have what I want Doctor-man, neither can you!" Then, the alien took his last breath and died. The Doctor didn't see however. He was too busy rushing to Rose. Panicking at the rapidly spreading crimson stain on her blouse. He caught her as she fell and buried his face in her hair. He had to get her to the TARDIS med-bay. NOW. He ran far faster than he had ever run before. Entering his ship, he felt the TARDIS's worried presence in his mind. He entered the control room and he collapsed. On the mad dash there Rose's heartbeat had quieted. He knew that he had a few minutes left, and even the short walk to the med-bay would kill her.

"Rose." Disbelieving, he thought back to that morning. If he had known what would happen… No. He had a few minutes left with the love of his lives and he couldn't waste it. If she had to die, she had to at the very least know how he felt. "Rose? Common, don't leave me. You've gotta stay with me. Remember, you promised forever. Forever." He couldn't take it anymore. He broke down. He cried for the first time in a long time. The grief he felt when he knew that he would lose her poured out.

"Doctor?" She weakly said. "Doctor are you there?"

"Yeah," He answered. He wasn't going to make her last minutes miserable. "I'll always be here Rose."

She smiled. "Good. Doctor, I love…." She never got to finish her sentence.

He didn't believe she was gone. He just hugged her cooling body to him and sobbed. Then he noticed something glowing beyond his eyelids. Beyond his own little world that he never wanted to leave because there was no Rose there anymore. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes to see what was going on. Rose was glowing. She started to rise up into the air, but he did not want to let her go. He made one last desperate grab for her and then sat, watching, wondering what was going to happen.

She wondered why everything was so warm. The last thing she remembered was the unbearable pain of the gunshot. But now everything was gold.

"_Rose?"_ a voice came to her. She knew it was asking a question that was very important, though she did not know how she knew this.

"Yeah?"

"_Do you want to be with the Doctor? Do you love him enough to give him forever? Would you die for him?"_

Rose didn't even think about her answer. "Of course! How thick are you? I've wanted that since the day he blew up my job. He is the most important thing in the multiverse to me. I would give up anything for him." She had started out loudly, but finished in little more than a whisper.

The voice seemed to be smiling. "_Then I will grant you one more chance at life. You, the remarkable little human who absorbed the entire time-vortex to save the man you love. You will be able to give him forever now. The two of you forever wandering the stars, protecting the universe from all imaginable evil. He will not regenerate again, he will forever be his 10__th__ self, just as you my wolf, will be forever the angel guiding him along the path to hope. Find your new wings, and use them to inspire hope. You have an important destiny and it will not be easy. Love will ease the suffering on the path you have to take. You are the embodiment of time in the universe. You must protect against anything that would upset the great balance between Order and Chaos. Now go, go back to him. The one you were destined for since the beginning of time itself."_

The voice was gone. The wonderful gold light exploded into a million fireworks that landed on Rose's back. Energy crackled like lightning and an impression of a pair of golden wings was burned into her back. The suffocating power that was saturating the air dissipated and Rose fell into the Doctor's waiting arms. He knew something was different. His timeline was changing. Her timeline was changing. They went on into forever. That should have been impossible. Then he felt her hearts beating. Wait, HEARTS plural? This day had gone from ordinary, to the worst day of his lives, and now to the best. He allowed himself a small smile and as he walked back into the depths of the TARDIS with her in his arms, wondering what the never-ending future would bring. All he knew was that Rose was alive, and he was happy.


End file.
